Page 32 of Fatal Betrayal

TJ's engaging brown gaze ran up and down Andi’s pretty form, and Cooper frowned at the look in his eyes.

"Well, you certainly grew up," TJ said.

"So did you," Andi said.

"You look good," TJ added with an approving smile. "Doesn't she look good, Coop?"

Andi did look good. He just hadn't wanted to tell her that or spend time thinking about it.

"I thought you were living on the East Coast, Andi," TJ continued.

"I just moved back."

"Really? And you and Cooper are hanging out now?"

He could see the question mark in TJ's eyes, and so could Andi. Everyone in their neighborhood had witnessed the collapse of their friendship and the break between their families.

"Just having a drink," Andi said lightly.

"Can I join you?" TJ asked. "My girlfriend is coming, but she's not here yet."

Andi hesitated, clearly not wanting to waste time on TJ but also not wanting to say no. "Sure. Why don't you guys grab a table, and I'll get us drinks?" she offered.

"Beer works for me," TJ said.

"Same," he said, knowing she'd use the opportunity to talk to the bartender so they wouldn't waste time chatting to TJ.

They found a table in the back corner and sat down. He and TJ had been good friends growing up, at least until the kidnapping. He'd spent hours playing video games in TJ's garage with him and his older brother, Will. But that relationship, like all of his friendships, had changed when Kyle was brought in for questioning. There had been so many rumors and awful stories about his family that he'd barely made it through school each day.

Because Will and Kyle had been together earlier on the night that Hannah had disappeared, Will's comments about Kyle picking a fight with him and leaving early, had also helped put the spotlight on Kyle, putting a wall between his family and the Lassiter's. That wall had crumbled over time. His mom and TJ's mother, Kim, had eventually started talking again, and they'd become even closer after Kyle's suicide, and then again when TJ's father died.

But he'd never had much to do with TJ or Will after high school, and he was fine with that. He'd gone away to college in San Francisco, wanting to leave his past as far behind him as he could. Eventually, he'd made his way back to LA, but by then everyone he had known was gone or had moved on.

TJ scooped up a handful of nuts from a bowl in the middle of the table and popped them into his mouth. "I guess you're famous now, Cooper."

He shrugged. "I wouldn't say that."

"My mom sends me articles about you all the time," TJ said. "It's good what you're doing to help people falsely convicted. Kyle would be proud of you."

"Thanks," he said shortly.

"For the record, I never thought Kyle did it. I did wonder about Mr. Montgomery, though. I used to see people coming down the side yard between our houses late at night, and I'd hear him talking to them. I thought he was buying drugs. But I guess the police couldn't find anything."

He remembered TJ suggesting that years ago, but as TJ had said, nothing had come of it. Just another lead that had never been investigated.

He cleared his throat, not wanting to talk about the past. "What are you up to these days?"

"I'm working as a sound engineer. I have my own music studio. My mom found me this great space in Culver City. It's small, and I don't have a ton of business, but I make enough to keep the lights on, and I'm doing what I love."

"You loved music, surfing, and smoking weed," he added with a smile.

TJ grinned back at him. "Still love all three. Named my business Wave Studios."

"Very appropriate."

TJ looked around and then leaned forward. "So, dude, seriously, what's with you and Andi hanging out together? And man, she is much hotter than she used to be, don't you think?"

"She's okay. We just ran into each other." He didn't want to get caught up in why he and Andi were together. "So, you said you're meeting your girlfriend?"